1
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Koba C, Crimi A, Collignon O, Ricciardi E, Hasson U. Neural networks associated with eye movements in congenital blindness. Eur J Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39034499 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that during the typical resting-state, echo planar imaging (EPI) time series obtained from the eye orbit area correlate with brain regions associated with oculomotor control and lower-level visual cortex. Here, we asked whether congenitally blind (CB) shows similar patterns, suggesting a hard-wired constraint on connectivity. We find that orbital EPI signals in CB do correlate with activity in the motor cortex, but less so with activity in the visual cortex. However, the temporal patterns of this eye movement-related signal differed strongly between CB and sighted controls. Furthermore, in CB, a few participants showed uncoordinated orbital EPI signals between the two eyes, each correlated with activity in different brain networks. Our findings suggest a retained circuitry between motor cortex and eye movements in blind, but also a moderate reorganization due to the absence of visual input, and the inability of CB to control their eye movements or sense their positions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cemal Koba
- Computer Vision Team, Sano Centre for Computational Medicine, Krakow, Poland
| | - Alessandro Crimi
- Computer Vision Team, Sano Centre for Computational Medicine, Krakow, Poland
| | - Olivier Collignon
- University of Louvain (UCLouvain), Institute for Research in Psychology (IPSY) & Neuroscience (IoNS), Louvain, Belgium
- HES-SO Valais-Wallis, The Sense Innovation and Research Center, School of Health Sciences, Lausanne, Sion, Switzerland
| | | | - Uri Hasson
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), The University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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2
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Pardhan S, Raman R, Moore BCJ, Cirstea S, Velu S, Kolarik AJ. Effect of early versus late onset of partial visual loss on judgments of auditory distance. Optom Vis Sci 2024; 101:393-398. [PMID: 38990237 DOI: 10.1097/opx.0000000000002125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE It is important to know whether early-onset vision loss and late-onset vision loss are associated with differences in the estimation of distances of sound sources within the environment. People with vision loss rely heavily on auditory cues for path planning, safe navigation, avoiding collisions, and activities of daily living. PURPOSE Loss of vision can lead to substantial changes in auditory abilities. It is unclear whether differences in sound distance estimation exist in people with early-onset partial vision loss, late-onset partial vision loss, and normal vision. We investigated distance estimates for a range of sound sources and auditory environments in groups of participants with early- or late-onset partial visual loss and sighted controls. METHODS Fifty-two participants heard static sounds with virtual distances ranging from 1.2 to 13.8 m within a simulated room. The room simulated either anechoic (no echoes) or reverberant environments. Stimuli were speech, music, or noise. Single sounds were presented, and participants reported the estimated distance of the sound source. Each participant took part in 480 trials. RESULTS Analysis of variance showed significant main effects of visual status (p<0.05) environment (reverberant vs. anechoic, p<0.05) and also of the stimulus (p<0.05). Significant differences (p<0.05) were shown in the estimation of distances of sound sources between early-onset visually impaired participants and sighted controls for closer distances for all conditions except the anechoic speech condition and at middle distances for all conditions except the reverberant speech and music conditions. Late-onset visually impaired participants and sighted controls showed similar performance (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that early-onset partial vision loss results in significant changes in judged auditory distance in different environments, especially for close and middle distances. Late-onset partial visual loss has less of an impact on the ability to estimate the distance of sound sources. The findings are consistent with a theoretical framework, the perceptual restructuring hypothesis, which was recently proposed to account for the effects of vision loss on audition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Saranya Velu
- Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreoretinal Services, Sankara Nethralaya Eye Hospital, Chennai, India
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3
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Gabdreshov G, Magzymov D, Yensebayev N. Preliminary investigation of SEZUAL device for basic material identification and simple spatial navigation for blind and visually impaired people. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2024; 19:1343-1350. [PMID: 36756982 DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2023.2176555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE we present a preliminary set of experimental studies that demonstrates device-aided echolocation enabling in blind and visually impaired individuals. The proposed device emits a click-like sound into the surrounding space and returning sound is perceived by participants to infer the surrounding environment. MATERIALS AND METHODS two sets of experiments were set up to evaluate the echolocation abilities of nine blind participants. The first setup was designed to identify four material types based on the sound reflection properties of materials, such as glass, metal, wood, and ceramics. The second setup was navigation through a basic maze with the device. RESULTS experimental data demonstrate that the use of the proposed device enables active echolocation abilities in blind participants, particularly for material identification and spatial mobility. CONCLUSION the proposed device can potentially be used to rehabilitate disabled blind and visually impaired individuals in terms of spatial mobility and orientation.
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4
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Pang W, Xia Z, Zhang L, Shu H, Zhang Y, Zhang Y. Stimulus-responsive and task-dependent activations in occipital regions during pitch perception by early blind listeners. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26583. [PMID: 38339902 PMCID: PMC10823761 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Although it has been established that cross-modal activations occur in the occipital cortex during auditory processing among congenitally and early blind listeners, it remains uncertain whether these activations in various occipital regions reflect sensory analysis of specific sound properties, non-perceptual cognitive operations associated with active tasks, or the interplay between sensory analysis and cognitive operations. This fMRI study aimed to investigate cross-modal responses in occipital regions, specifically V5/MT and V1, during passive and active pitch perception by early blind individuals compared to sighted individuals. The data showed that V5/MT was responsive to pitch during passive perception, and its activations increased with task complexity. By contrast, widespread occipital regions, including V1, were only recruited during two active perception tasks, and their activations were also modulated by task complexity. These fMRI results from blind individuals suggest that while V5/MT activations are both stimulus-responsive and task-modulated, activations in other occipital regions, including V1, are dependent on the task, indicating similarities and differences between various visual areas during auditory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wengbin Pang
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovernBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Zhichao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovernBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
- School of Systems ScienceBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
- Department of Psychological Sciences and Brain Imaging Research CenterUniversity of ConnecticutMansfieldConnecticutUSA
| | - Linjun Zhang
- School of Chinese as a Second LanguagePeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Hua Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovernBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech‐Language‐Hearing Sciences and Center for Neurobehavioral DevelopmentUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMinnesotaUSA
| | - Yumei Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
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5
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Peter MG, Darki F, Thunell E, Mårtensson G, Postma EM, Boesveldt S, Westman E, Lundström JN. Lifelong olfactory deprivation-dependent cortical reorganization restricted to orbitofrontal cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:6459-6470. [PMID: 37915233 PMCID: PMC10681638 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Prolonged sensory deprivation has repeatedly been linked to cortical reorganization. We recently demonstrated that individuals with congenital anosmia (CA, complete olfactory deprivation since birth) have seemingly normal morphology in piriform (olfactory) cortex despite profound morphological deviations in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a finding contradictory to both the known effects of blindness on visual cortex and to the sparse literature on brain morphology in anosmia. To establish whether these unexpected findings reflect the true brain morphology in CA, we first performed a direct replication of our previous study to determine if lack of results was due to a deviant control group, a confound in cross sectional studies. Individuals with CA (n = 30) were compared to age and sex matched controls (n = 30) using voxel- and surface-based morphometry. The replication results were near identical to the original study: bilateral clusters of group differences in the OFC, including CA atrophy around the olfactory sulci and volume increases in the medial orbital gyri. Importantly, no group differences in piriform cortex were detected. Subsequently, to assess any subtle patterns of group differences not detectable by our mass-univariate analysis, we explored the data from a multivariate perspective. Combining the newly collected data with data from the replicated study (CA = 49, control = 49), we performed support vector machine classification based on gray matter volume. In line with the mass-univariate analyses, the multivariate analysis could accurately differentiate between the groups in bilateral OFC, whereas the classification accuracy in piriform cortex was at chance level. Our results suggest that despite lifelong olfactory deprivation, piriform (olfactory) cortex is morphologically unaltered and the morphological deviations in CA are confined to the OFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moa G. Peter
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Fahimeh Darki
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Evelina Thunell
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Gustav Mårtensson
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and SocietyKarolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Elbrich M. Postma
- Smell and Taste Centre, Hospital Gelderse ValleiEdethe Netherlands
- Division of Human Nutrition and HealthWageningen UniversityWageningenthe Netherlands
| | - Sanne Boesveldt
- Division of Human Nutrition and HealthWageningen UniversityWageningenthe Netherlands
| | - Eric Westman
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and SocietyKarolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- Department of Neuroimaging, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Johan N. Lundström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- Monell Chemical Senses CenterPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
- Stockholm University Brain Imaging CenterStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
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6
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Abstract
Neurological insults, such as congenital blindness, deafness, amputation, and stroke, often result in surprising and impressive behavioural changes. Cortical reorganisation, which refers to preserved brain tissue taking on a new functional role, is often invoked to account for these behavioural changes. Here, we revisit many of the classical animal and patient cortical remapping studies that spawned this notion of reorganisation. We highlight empirical, methodological, and conceptual problems that call this notion into doubt. We argue that appeal to the idea of reorganisation is attributable in part to the way that cortical maps are empirically derived. Specifically, cortical maps are often defined based on oversimplified assumptions of 'winner-takes-all', which in turn leads to an erroneous interpretation of what it means when these maps appear to change. Conceptually, remapping is interpreted as a circuit receiving novel input and processing it in a way unrelated to its original function. This implies that neurons are either pluripotent enough to change what they are tuned to or that a circuit can change what it computes. Instead of reorganisation, we argue that remapping is more likely to occur due to potentiation of pre-existing architecture that already has the requisite representational and computational capacity pre-injury. This architecture can be facilitated via Hebbian and homeostatic plasticity mechanisms. Crucially, our revised framework proposes that opportunities for functional change are constrained throughout the lifespan by the underlying structural 'blueprint'. At no period, including early in development, does the cortex offer structural opportunities for functional pluripotency. We conclude that reorganisation as a distinct form of cortical plasticity, ubiquitously evoked with words such as 'take-over'' and 'rewiring', does not exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar R Makin
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - John W Krakauer
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- The Santa Fe InstituteSanta FeUnited States
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7
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Sabourin CJ, Merrikhi Y, Lomber SG. Do blind people hear better? Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:999-1012. [PMID: 36207258 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
For centuries, anecdotal evidence such as the perfect pitch of the blind piano tuner or blind musician has supported the notion that individuals who have lost their sight early in life have superior hearing abilities compared with sighted people. Recently, auditory psychophysical and functional imaging studies have identified that specific auditory enhancements in the early blind can be linked to activation in extrastriate visual cortex, suggesting crossmodal plasticity. Furthermore, the nature of the sensory reorganization in occipital cortex supports the concept of a task-based functional cartography for the cerebral cortex rather than a sensory-based organization. In total, studies of early-blind individuals provide valuable insights into mechanisms of cortical plasticity and principles of cerebral organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina J Sabourin
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada; Biological and Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Yaser Merrikhi
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Stephen G Lomber
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada; Biological and Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada; Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada.
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8
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Lifelong changes of neurotransmitter receptor expression and debilitation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity following early postnatal blindness. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9142. [PMID: 35650390 PMCID: PMC9160005 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13127-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In the weeks immediately after onset of sensory loss, extensive reorganization of both the cortex and hippocampus occurs. Two fundamental characteristics comprise widespread changes in the relative expression of GABA and glutamate receptors and debilitation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Here, we explored whether recovery from adaptive changes in the expression of plasticity-related neurotransmitter receptors and hippocampal synaptic plasticity occurs in the time-period of up to 12 months after onset of sensory loss. We compared receptor expression in CBA/J mice that develop hereditary blindness, with CBA/CaOlaHsd mice that have intact vision and no deficits in other sensory modalities throughout adulthood. GluN1-subunit expression was reduced and the GluN2A:GluN2B ratio was persistently altered in cortex and hippocampus. GABA-receptor expression was decreased and metabotropic glutamate receptor expression was altered. Hippocampal synaptic plasticity was persistently compromised in vivo. But although LTP in blind mice was chronically impaired throughout adulthood, a recovery of the early phase of LTP became apparent when the animals reached 12 months of age. These data show that cortical and hippocampal adaptation to early postnatal blindness progresses into advanced adulthood and is a process that compromises hippocampal function. A partial recovery of hippocampal synaptic plasticity emerges in advanced adulthood, however.
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9
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Qu 曲晓霞 X, Ding 丁静文 J, Wang 王倩 Q, Cui 崔靖 J, Dong J, Guo 郭健 J, Li 李婷 T, Xie 解立志 L, Li 李冬梅 D, Xian 鲜军舫 J. Effect of the long-term lack of half visual inputs on the white matter microstructure in congenital monocular blindness. Brain Res 2022; 1781:147832. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.147832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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10
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Analysis and Validation of Cross-Modal Generative Adversarial Network for Sensory Substitution. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18126216. [PMID: 34201269 PMCID: PMC8228544 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18126216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Visual-auditory sensory substitution has demonstrated great potential to help visually impaired and blind groups to recognize objects and to perform basic navigational tasks. However, the high latency between visual information acquisition and auditory transduction may contribute to the lack of the successful adoption of such aid technologies in the blind community; thus far, substitution methods have remained only laboratory-scale research or pilot demonstrations. This high latency for data conversion leads to challenges in perceiving fast-moving objects or rapid environmental changes. To reduce this latency, prior analysis of auditory sensitivity is necessary. However, existing auditory sensitivity analyses are subjective because they were conducted using human behavioral analysis. Therefore, in this study, we propose a cross-modal generative adversarial network-based evaluation method to find an optimal auditory sensitivity to reduce transmission latency in visual-auditory sensory substitution, which is related to the perception of visual information. We further conducted a human-based assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model-based analysis in human behavioral experiments. We conducted experiments with three participant groups, including sighted users (SU), congenitally blind (CB) and late-blind (LB) individuals. Experimental results from the proposed model showed that the temporal length of the auditory signal for sensory substitution could be reduced by 50%. This result indicates the possibility of improving the performance of the conventional vOICe method by up to two times. We confirmed that our experimental results are consistent with human assessment through behavioral experiments. Analyzing auditory sensitivity with deep learning models has the potential to improve the efficiency of sensory substitution.
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11
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Lubinus C, Orpella J, Keitel A, Gudi-Mindermann H, Engel AK, Roeder B, Rimmele JM. Data-Driven Classification of Spectral Profiles Reveals Brain Region-Specific Plasticity in Blindness. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:2505-2522. [PMID: 33338212 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital blindness has been shown to result in behavioral adaptation and neuronal reorganization, but the underlying neuronal mechanisms are largely unknown. Brain rhythms are characteristic for anatomically defined brain regions and provide a putative mechanistic link to cognitive processes. In a novel approach, using magnetoencephalography resting state data of congenitally blind and sighted humans, deprivation-related changes in spectral profiles were mapped to the cortex using clustering and classification procedures. Altered spectral profiles in visual areas suggest changes in visual alpha-gamma band inhibitory-excitatory circuits. Remarkably, spectral profiles were also altered in auditory and right frontal areas showing increased power in theta-to-beta frequency bands in blind compared with sighted individuals, possibly related to adaptive auditory and higher cognitive processing. Moreover, occipital alpha correlated with microstructural white matter properties extending bilaterally across posterior parts of the brain. We provide evidence that visual deprivation selectively modulates spectral profiles, possibly reflecting structural and functional adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Lubinus
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, 60322 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Joan Orpella
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Anne Keitel
- Psychology, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK
| | - Helene Gudi-Mindermann
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Social Epidemiology, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Andreas K Engel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Brigitte Roeder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johanna M Rimmele
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, 60322 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
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12
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BULBOACA AE, STANESCU I, NICULA C, BULBOACA A. Neuroplasticity pathophysiological mechanisms underlying neuro-optometric rehabilitation in ischemic stroke – a brief review. BALNEO AND PRM RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021. [DOI: 10.12680/balneo.2021.412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroplasticity is an essential phenomenon underlying on neurorehabilitation process, by which the brain can remodel the dysfunction consequent to a lesion. Ischemic brain lesions are the most frequent brain lesions often associated with visual function disability. Experimental and clinical studies established that visual function disability can impede the neurorehabilitation therapy efficiency. Neuro-optometric therapy has been proved to significantly improve the patient outcome after brain lesions. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this process are yet to be deciphered. Current knowledge regarding the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in ischemic lesions and neuroplasticity as a reparation process offers real support to a more efficient neurorehabilitation therapy that can contribute to the improvement of life quality in stroke patients.
Keywords: neuroplasticity, neuro-optometric rehabilitation, ischemic stroke,
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Elena BULBOACA
- Functional Biosciences Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Hatieganu”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Ioana STANESCU
- Neurosciences Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Hatieganu”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Cristina NICULA
- Neurosciences Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Hatieganu”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Angelo BULBOACA
- Neurosciences Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Hatieganu”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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13
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Arioli M, Ricciardi E, Cattaneo Z. Social cognition in the blind brain: A coordinate-based meta-analysis. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 42:1243-1256. [PMID: 33320395 PMCID: PMC7927293 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Social cognition skills are typically acquired on the basis of visual information (e.g., the observation of gaze, facial expressions, gestures). In light of this, a critical issue is whether and how the lack of visual experience affects neurocognitive mechanisms underlying social skills. This issue has been largely neglected in the literature on blindness, despite difficulties in social interactions may be particular salient in the life of blind individuals (especially children). Here we provide a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies reporting brain activations associated to the representation of self and others' in early blind individuals and in sighted controls. Our results indicate that early blindness does not critically impact on the development of the "social brain," with social tasks performed on the basis of auditory or tactile information driving consistent activations in nodes of the action observation network, typically active during actual observation of others in sighted individuals. Interestingly though, activations along this network appeared more left-lateralized in the blind than in sighted participants. These results may have important implications for the development of specific training programs to improve social skills in blind children and young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Arioli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Zaira Cattaneo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
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14
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Kolarik AJ, Raman R, Moore BCJ, Cirstea S, Gopalakrishnan S, Pardhan S. The accuracy of auditory spatial judgments in the visually impaired is dependent on sound source distance. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7169. [PMID: 32346036 PMCID: PMC7189236 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64306-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Blindness leads to substantial enhancements in many auditory abilities, and deficits in others. It is unknown how severe visual losses need to be before changes in auditory abilities occur, or whether the relationship between severity of visual loss and changes in auditory abilities is proportional and systematic. Here we show that greater severity of visual loss is associated with increased auditory judgments of distance and room size. On average participants with severe visual losses perceived sounds to be twice as far away, and rooms to be three times larger, than sighted controls. Distance estimates for sighted controls were most accurate for closer sounds and least accurate for farther sounds. As the severity of visual impairment increased, accuracy decreased for closer sounds and increased for farther sounds. However, it is for closer sounds that accurate judgments are needed to guide rapid motor responses to auditory events, e.g. planning a safe path through a busy street to avoid collisions with other people, and falls. Interestingly, greater visual impairment severity was associated with more accurate room size estimates. The results support a new hypothesis that crossmodal calibration of audition by vision depends on the severity of visual loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Kolarik
- Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom. .,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Rajiv Raman
- Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreoretinal Services, Sankara Nethralaya Eye Hospital, Chennai, India
| | - Brian C J Moore
- Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Cirstea
- Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,School of Computing and Information Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sarika Gopalakrishnan
- Faculty of Low Vision Care, Elite School of Optometry, Chennai, India.,Low Vision Care Department, Sankara Nethralaya Eye Hospital, Chennai, India
| | - Shahina Pardhan
- Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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15
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Bennett CR, Bauer CM, Bailin ES, Merabet LB. Neuroplasticity in cerebral visual impairment (CVI): Assessing functional vision and the neurophysiological correlates of dorsal stream dysfunction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:171-181. [PMID: 31655075 PMCID: PMC6949360 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) results from perinatal injury to visual processing structures and pathways and is the most common individual cause of pediatric visual impairment and blindness in developed countries. While there is mounting evidence demonstrating extensive neuroplastic reorganization in early onset, profound ocular blindness, how the brain reorganizes in the setting of congenital damage to cerebral (i.e. retro-geniculate) visual pathways remains comparatively poorly understood. Individuals with CVI exhibit a wide range of visual deficits and, in particular, present with impairments of higher order visual spatial processing (referred to as "dorsal stream dysfunction") as well as object recognition (associated with processing along the ventral stream). In this review, we discuss the need for ongoing work to develop novel, neuroscience-inspired approaches to investigate functional visual deficits in this population. We also outline the role played by advanced structural and functional neuroimaging in helping to elucidate the underlying neurophysiology of CVI, and highlight key differences with regard to patterns of neural reorganization previously described in ocular blindness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Bennett
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Corinna M Bauer
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Emma S Bailin
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Lotfi B Merabet
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
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16
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Bauer CM. Neuroplastic reorganization in children with ocular and cerebral visual impairment. Dev Med Child Neurol 2020; 62:16. [PMID: 31448827 DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.14339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Corinna M Bauer
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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17
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Cisneros-Franco JM, Voss P, Thomas ME, de Villers-Sidani E. Critical periods of brain development. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2020; 173:75-88. [PMID: 32958196 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-64150-2.00009-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Brain plasticity is maximal at specific time windows during early development known as critical periods (CPs), during which sensory experience is necessary to establish optimal cortical representations of the surrounding environment. After CP closure, a range of functional and structural elements prevent passive experience from eliciting significant plastic changes in the brain. The transition from a plastic to a more fixed state is advantageous as it allows for the sequential consolidation and retention of new and more complex perceptual, motor, and cognitive functions. However, the formation of stable neural representations may pose limitations on future revisions to the circuitry. If sensory experience is abnormal or absent during this time, it can have profound effects on sensory representations in adulthood, resulting in quasi-permanent adaptations that can make it nearly impossible to learn certain skills or process certain stimulus properties later on in life. This chapter begins with a brief introduction to experience-dependent plasticity throughout the lifespan (Section Introduction). Next, we define what constitutes a CP (Section What Are Critical Periods?) and review some of the key CPs in the visual and auditory systems (Section Key Critical Periods of Sensory Systems). We then discuss the mechanisms whereby cortical plasticity is regulated both locally and through neuromodulatory systems (Section How Are Critical Periods Regulated?). Finally, we highlight studies showing that CPs can be extended beyond their normal epochs, closed prematurely, or reopened during adult life by merely altering sensory inputs (Section Timing of Critical Periods: Can CP Plasticity Be Extended, Limited, or Reactivated?).
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Affiliation(s)
- J Miguel Cisneros-Franco
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Patrice Voss
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Maryse E Thomas
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Etienne de Villers-Sidani
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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18
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Ahmad H, Setti W, Campus C, Capris E, Facchini V, Sandini G, Gori M. The Sound of Scotoma: Audio Space Representation Reorganization in Individuals With Macular Degeneration. Front Integr Neurosci 2019; 13:44. [PMID: 31481884 PMCID: PMC6710446 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2019.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Blindness is an ideal condition to study the role of visual input on the development of spatial representation, as studies have shown how audio space representation reorganizes in blindness. However, how spatial reorganization works is still unclear. A limitation of the study on blindness is that it is a "stable" system and it does not allow for studying the mechanisms that subtend the progress of this reorganization. To overcome this problem here we study, for the first time, audio spatial reorganization in 18 adults with macular degeneration (MD) for which the loss of vision due to scotoma is an ongoing progressive process. Our results show that the loss of vision produces immediate changes in the processing of spatial audio signals. In individuals with MD, the lateral sounds are "attracted" toward the central scotoma position resulting in a strong bias in the spatial auditory percept. This result suggests that the reorganization of audio space representation is a fast and plastic process occurring also later in life, after vision loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hafsah Ahmad
- Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy.,Unit for Visually Impaired People, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and Systems Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Walter Setti
- Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy.,Unit for Visually Impaired People, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and Systems Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Claudio Campus
- Unit for Visually Impaired People, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
| | | | | | - Giulio Sandini
- Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
| | - Monica Gori
- Unit for Visually Impaired People, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
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